Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will give financial support to private sectors conducting demonstration projects overseas of sewer system such as waste water treatment. As a part of the government’s policy to promote sewer system export, the ministry will also establish a guideline for foreign governments on selection of sewer treatment methods, which is expected to encourage application of Japanese technologies. Targeting rapidly urbanizing Asian countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia, Japan aims to build businesses of as much as 1 trillion yen value within the period of 2015-2025.
It is estimated that global sewer market will grow to 37.7 trillion yen in 2025 from 15.4 trillion yen in 2007, while Japanese market is predicted to shrink due to decreasing population. The government intends to take advantages of the world’s increasing demands and to sustain high capability of domestic sewer services.
According to the ministry’s plan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia are initial targets. The countries under rapid economic growth and urbanization suffer from low rate of sewer coverage.
The ministry is considering establishment of financial support system for private companies that plan to demonstrate sewer system such as waste water treatment in these countries. Practicing demonstration in local sites can help the companies win contracts because they can easily adjust specifications according to the counter country’s requests.
Furthermore, manuals guiding how to select the most appropriate methods will be developed for foreign governments. A manual for Vietnamese administration will be prepared in fiscal 2014. (2014/04/24)